Monday, December 3, 2012

All these things my hand has made,and so all these things came to be,declares the LORD.But this is the one to whom I will look:he who is humble and contrite in spiritand trembles at my word. (Isaiah 66:2 ESV)

How do we get God's attention? How do we do this? He has made it plain. He will come near those who humble themselves before Him and fear His word--those that fight to resist desires to please themselves rather than God. Paul said that he beat his body into submission so that he would not be disqualified. (1 Cor 9:27) But those that do not humble themselves, those that are not contrite in spirit, and those who do not tremble at His word, God will not look on them. The Hebrew word is nabat in Hiphil form. It means God will not regard them. They will not be considered. God will pay them no mind. Similarly David said, "Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death (Psalm 13:3 ESV). To ask this of God confidently as David, we must tremble at His word. There will be many who claim to call on the name of Christ who do great works for the Church--if these are not serving out of fear and reverence for God, He will not regard them. To them Christ will say, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matt. 7:23) Only those that tremble at His word will God see and know as His own. Remember the words of Christ, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." (John 10:27-28) Those that tremble at the God's Word know their shepherd's voice. They heed Him, they listen to Him, they follow Him. The sheep know what is required of them, and they do so willfully, not under compulsion, and they delight in His law, and they meditate on it day and night. (Psalm 1:2)